Lifting apparatus



May 3, 1949. G. F. I wls LIFTING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March23, 1946 May 3, 1949. G. F. I l-:wls

LIFTING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 23, 1946 Geol .jj www May3, 1949. G. F. LEWIS vL IFTINGV APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March23, 1946 May 3, 1949. G. F. I Ewls l 2,469,199

LIFTING APPARATUS Filed March 23, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 May 3, 1949. G.F. LEWIS v 2,469,199

LIFTING APPARATUS v Filed March 23. 1946 9 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented May3, 1,949

UNITED STATES PATENT *OFFICE LIFTING APPARATUS George F. Lewis,Streator, lll.

Application March 23, 1946,Serial No. 956,556

Claims. l

My invention relates to 'lifting means and more particularly to a simplemeans and apparatus for lifting, as for lifting a vehicle body above itssupporting chassis.

One of the features of my invention is that it provides a simple liftingdevice. Another feature is to provide a means of raising a vehicle bodyabove its normal position on the chassis. Another `feature of myinvention is to provide a means of converting anordinary farm wagon intoa dump Wagon. Another `feature is to provide means of limiting theextent to which the body is raised above its chassis. Yet anotherfeature is to provide means of utilizing a power take-olf such as from atractor to raise the body. A further feature is to provide lmeans forpreventing the body from descending at a too rapid rate and to providemeans for preventing the body from falling .in the event of failure ofthe lifting means. Still another feature of my invention is to providemeans of raising the bodies on one or more of a plurality `of vehiclesfrom the same power take-off. Other and further features of my inventionwill be apparent from the following specification and the drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 shows a tractor towing two farm wagons equipped with myinvention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation partly in section of a wagon equipped withmy invention Figure 3 is a vertical section along lines 3-3 of Figure 5;

Figure 4 is another View of Figure 3, lshowing the body in a raisedposition;

Figure 5 is a horizontalsection along lines 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a rear elevation of a wagon with my invention as a partthereof;

Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the right-hand portion of Figure 5;

Figure 8 is an yenlarged view of the right-hand portion of Figure 3;

Figure 9 is a side elevation partly in section of the opposite side ofFigure 8;

Figure 10 is a side elevation partly in section of the power assembly,showing the worm gear, cable take-up drum, brake and lift-limitingarrangement;

Figure A11 is a side elevation partly in section showing the worm gearand clutch arrangement; and

Figure 12 is a side elevation partly in section showing the ratchet andpawl arrangement for restricting rotation to one direction.

Referring to Figure 1, I show a tractor i8 towing two farm wagons, I9and 20, by means of a .2 towing `bar 2|.. A second towing bar 22 isattached `to the rear -of the .wagon vI9 lfor towing the wagon 20. Theypower take-off from the tractor is connected `to the drive shaft 23 andto the lifting mechanism on ywagon I9 through universale 24. vThe drive.shaft 2.3 is continued through wagon |9 Vas hereinafter described andby means of universels 25 is connected to the lifting mechanism .on theWagon 20. As many portions of the lifting apparatus `are duplicated onthe Lopposite side of the wagon, only one side will Abe described indetail and corresponding parts on the opposite sideare given ylikenumerals with the letter a,added.

As is most clearly shown in Figure 2, my lifting device comprises `anarm 26 and an arm 21 pivoted together at 28. The vopposite end of thearm 21 is pivoted about the axis of the cross bar 2-9 which is rotatablyattached to the longi-` tudinal frame member 3.0, and arm 26 is vpivotedat 3| to the longitudinal frame member 32. I find that maximum .leveragecan be obtained by using arms of the parabolioshape shown in thedrawings. although .other shapes can be used. Spreader means, generallydesignated 33, Ais in terposed between said arms. When the wagon body isin the level position shown by the solid lines in Figure 2, the lowerarm rests in the metal strap 34 `which is .equipped (as vmostclearlyshown in Figure 6) with ;a shoulder -35 upon lwhich the arm rests. Thesaid arms 26 and 2" arepivoted upon a shaft 3B. Rotatably mounted uponthe shaft 36 are a series yof pulleys, generally vdesignated 31, whichare yheld in position against axial movement by the .collar 38. vReeved.through pulleys 3l are cables, generally designated 39.

As is most clearly shown in Figure 7, the spreader means, generallyydesignated 33, `vcomprise an axle 40 at the extremity of which is aroller 4| with .an .integral ool1ar'42 `formed there on. Arm `26 restsupon the Vroller 4| and the collar 42 serves .to prevent .sidewise.movement of the lsaid arm. To the inside of the roller 4| is roller 43equipped `with an integral collar 44, which roller engages kthe arm 21.Also mounted upon the axle vMl are aseries of pulleys, generallydesignated r45, through `,which are reeved the'said cables 39; 'one endyof fthefcables 3,9 is secured to the cable take-up means 46, theopposite end of the said cable is :secured ,to an .eye 4l mounted uponthe collar 38. `Cable ytake-up drum 46 is mounted upon va shaft 48journaled at each end in bearings 49 4mounted upon the longitudinalframe member 30. Associated with shaft 48 is the worm drive and clutchmechanism (more clearly shown in Figure 11) comprising a casing 50,enclosing a gear 5l non-rotatably mounted on shaft 48, and engaging thegear 5| is the worm 52. The worm 52 is rotatably mounted upon driveshaft 23 and in casing 50 in such manner as to permit rotational but notaxial movement. Rigidly attached to the left-hand side of the worm 52(as viewed in Figure 11) is the clutch member 53. Slidably mounted uponthe drive shaft 23 and contained within the casing 59, is thecooperating clutch member 54 which is keyed to the drive shaft 23 so asto permit axial but not rotational movement thereof with respect to thedrive shaft 23. Axial movement of the clutch member 54 is effected bythe lug 55 adapted to be received in the collar 56 and nonrotatablymounted upon the shaft 51; the arrangement being such that rotation ofthe shaft 51 in a clockwise direction (as viewed in Figure 11) throughthe lug 55, engaging the collar 56, causes the clutch member 54 to slideto the left upon the shaft 23 to disengage its right-hand face with theclutch member 53, and rotation of the shaft 51 in the opposite direction(counterclockwise) will cause the clutch to engage. As most yclearlyseen in Figure 7, the shaft 51 extends through the longitudinal framemember 30a and terminates in the handle 58 for the actuation thereof.Also attached to the shaft member 51 (as shown in Figure 10) is theautomatic lift-'limiting means, comprising a lever 59 non-rotatablymounted upon the shaft 51 to which is pivoted a tubular rod 60. Lever 6lis non-rotatably mounted on cross bar 29 and the threaded rod 66x ispivoted thereto, as shown. The cross bar 29 is associated with the upperarm 21, as previously described, and rotates with the said arm. Theopposite end of rod 60:1: is

inserted in the open end of the tubular rod lill.`

Lock `nuts 62 are threaded on the rod 695C and contact the end of rod 69for the actuation of lever 59, the point of contact being adjustable bythe location of the said lock nuts.

Referring to Figure 7, the cable take-up means 46a is equipped with abrake drum 63 rigidly mounted thereon andfsurrounded by a brake band 64.Asbest seen in Figure 10, one end of the brake band 64 is secured to rod65 which passes through a hole inthe frame member 66. The end of the rod65 is threaded to receive nut 61 and washer 68. vInterposed between thewasher 68 and the hole in the frame member 66 and surrounding the rod 65is coil spring 69.`

The opposite end of the brake'l band is pivoted upon the bar 10,non-rotatably mounted upon the shaft 1|. Shaft A1| terminates in ahandle 12 for the actuation of the brake.

Mounted upon lthe opposite end of the cable take-up means 46a is a lug13 (Figures '1 and 12). Pivotally mounted upon the cross beam 14 of theframe is the pawl element 15 held in posi` tion by gravity and the' coilspring 16 to engage the lug 13 to permit the rotation of the shaft 48 inone direction only (counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 12). Secured tothe said pawl element 15 is the handle 11 mounted to withdraw theelement 15 from lits engagement with the lug 13 to permit rotation ofthe shaft 48 in either direction.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention, I show the body portion ofthe wagon I9 mounted upon the longitudinalframe member 32, and thelongitudinal frame member 30 mounted upon the wagon chassis. The saidlongitudinal frame members are pivoted together at the left-hand end (asviewed in Figure 2) by a hinge 18 or other similar means. The driveshaft 23 extends completely through the casing 50, and terminates at therear portion of the wagon. Additional wagons may be towed by the firstwagon by towing bar 22, and the lifting mechanism upon such additionalwagons may be actuated by extending the shaft 23 by means of theuniversals 25 to connect with the lifting mechanism of such additionalwagons.

Having described one particular structure embodying my invention, itsoperation will now be described.

With the drive shaft 23, attached by universals 24 to the tractor powertake-off, and with the latter in operation, the said drive shaft 23willI be turning over idly if the handle 56 were in a lifted positionand the clutch 53 and 54 thereby disengaged. To start the operation ofthe lifting mechanism, handle 58 is depressed, rotating shaft 51counterclockwise (as seen in Figure 11), lug 55 thereupon engaging theright-hand side of the collar 56 moving the clutch member 54 intoengagement with the clutch member 53, causing the rotation of worm 52,gear 5I and the shaft 48. The cable take-up means 46 will then begin totake up on the cables 39. I prefer to use a considerable ratio on thecable and pulley means to minimize strain on the cables. In theparticular embodiment shown, I prefer a 13 to 1 ratio. Winding up of thesaid cable will cause a shortening of the distance between the shaft 36and the spreader means 33, and (as the shaft 3-6 is secured to the arms26 and 21), the said spreader means will move towards the said shaft 36.Inasmuch as the said spreader means is interposed between the arms 26and 21, its motion will cause the arms to spread apart with the resultthat the right-hand end of the wagon 40 body (as viewed in Figures 2 and4) will rise, the

left-hand end pivoting on pivot 18, continuing the winding of the cablearound the cable takeup means and will continue to shorten the distancebetween the bar 36 andthe spreader means 33 until the arms have reachedthe position shown by the dotted figure in Figure 4. It can be seen thatas the arms are spread apart, the arm 21 is also raised. As this arm isxed t0 the cross bar 29 in a non-rotatable manner, cross bar 29 willalso have rotated a corresponding amount. The rotation of the cross bar25 actuates the lever 6| to move it to the position shown by the dottedlines in Figure 9, thereby moving the lever 59, rotating the shaft 51,and disengaging the clutch members 53 and 54 when the arms have beenspread to an extent predetermined by the position of the lock nuts 62.When the clutch has been disengaged, the cable take-up means will atfirst, unless held in position by the brake, rotate in the oppositedirection until the lug 13 engages the pa'wl element 15 stopping suchrotation. To lower the body, the clutch is left disengaged and the brakehandle 12 is depressed. The action of the brake band, in conjunctionwith the coil spring 69, Vserves to rotate the cable take-up means in acounterclockwise direction, (as seen in Figure 12) a suicient distanceto allow the pawl element 15 to be disengaged from the lug 13 by a'pullon the handle 11. The force of gravity will cause the body to drop, andthe speed of the drop can be regulated by means of the brake.

Inasmuch as the drive shaft v23 vrotates idly when the clutch isydisengaged, 4the body on the second wagon, equipped with similar lifting.a time.

mechanism, can be raised without the necessity of raising the body onthe rst wagon.

In fact, a plurality of wagons can be attached in the manner shown inFigure 1, and the bodies on any one or more of them can be raised at anytime. By using a plurality of wagons equipped with my lifting apparatus,the farmer can pull the train thus :formed by means of a tractor or atruck into the position where it is desired to dump the first wagon.This wagon can be dumped individually, its body lowered and the entiretrain moved ahead an additional distance required to bring the secondwagon into position for dumping. The second wagon can then be dumpedindividually and additional wagons moved into position and dumped one atThus the farmer can achieve in one trip what heretofore has necessitatednumerous trips.

The entire lifting unit is secured to the longitudinal frame and crossframes (as shown in the appended drawings). By removing the body from avehicle, mounting the lifting unit on the chassis, and replacing thebody and securing it to the upper longitudinal frames, such vehicles areeasily converted into dump wagons or dump trucks.

The unit can be used by itself as a simple and eflcient means forraising weights, such as lifting bales to be loaded upon trucks orwagons, etc. The unit being readily attachable and detachable can beused for a multiplicity of purposes and on a multiplicity of vehicles.

While the invention has been disclosed and described herein in aparticular embodiment, it is not intended that the invention is to belimited thereby to the specific disclosure made. On the contrary, it isintended to cover all modications and alternative constructions fallingwithin the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A device for raising a vehicle body from a chassis portioncomprising: a pair of curved arms arranged in vertical relationship andpivoted together adjacent one end the opposite end of the upper armbeing pivoted to the chassis portion adjacent the front end thereof andthe opposite end of the lower arm being pivoted to the vehicle bodyadjacent the front end thereof in such manner vas to cross said armsintermediate the ends thereof, a spreader device interposed between saidarms intermediate the point of crossing and the points of pivot to thesaid chassis and body, and apparatus for actuating said spreader device.

2. A device for raising a vehicle body from a chassis portioncomprising: a pair of arms pivoted together adjacent one end with theupper arm pivoted to the chassis portion at the cpposite end thereof andthe lower arm pivoted to the vehicle body at the opposite end thereof insuch manner as to cross said arms intermediate the ends thereof;spreader means interposed between said arms intermediate the point ofcrossing and the said ends; and means for actuating said spreader means,including pulley means; said spreader actuating means comprising a powertake-off, a driving member driven by said power take-off, a clutchinterposed between the power take-off and the driving member, a drivenmember driven by said driving member, and a cable take-up means rotatedby the driven member for operating the pulley means.

3. Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 2 including: an annularbrake drum rigidly connected to said cable take-up means, a brake bandsurrounding said drum, `and means for tightening the brake band on thebrake drum.

4. Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 2 including: meansnormally permitting the rotation of said cable take-up means in onedirection only, and actuating means attached to said motion restrictingmeans for releasing the same to permit rotation of said cable takeupmeans in either direction.

5. Apparatus of the character -claimed in claim 2 including: alift-limiting means comprising a lever means associated with said upperarm and actuated .by the motion thereof to disengage the clutch when thearms have been spread to a predetermined extent.

GEORGE F, LEWIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

